Green-Spored Lepiota (Chlorophyllum molybdites)

4/1/2012

APRIL FOOLS DAY! I don't believe it was a prank but I found an awesome fairy-ring this afternoon. I walked outside right at dusk and saw this cluster from a mile away. Exaggerated of course but I saw it immediately when walking outside. It was in a neighbors yard. So I walk over and only have my cell phone camera (for the first few shots). A cluster of about 20 amanita looking mushrooms were growing in a circle at the base of a Japanese plum tree (Eriobotrya japonica), also known as loquat. Delicious fruits produced by it, by the way, but that's another post... another time. I was literally  so excited. Such a dork, I know. Anyway, I picked one and took it back to the lab... for further inspection. It's details are as follows:

CAP:

distinctly umbonate shape,

9 cm diameter,

2 cm at thickest part,

cinnamon brown scales about 3 cm diameter at top,

white/ off white fleshy,

brown/ black warts

GILLS:

white,

crowded,

free,

4 cm long,

STIPE:

8 cm long,

basal bulb 2.5 cm,

ring present 4.75 cm from base,

0.9 cm thick

0.2 cm fleshy tube running down the center

SPORES:

Green

So now I gotta find an ID!

like I said in the beginning it is very amanita-esque, so I'll start there. 

flipping through my book I encountered the following:

Lepiota cristata

Lepiota helveola

Macrolepiota konradii

Macrolepiota procera

Lepiota americana

So apparently L. cristata is much smaller, generally, than the species I encountered so I'm going to eliminate that from the options.

Macrolepiota procera tends to grow alone. The stem is too long as well. 

http://americanmushrooms.com/taxa/Chlorophyllum_molybdites_02g_Martha_Edley.htm

:( read something about a border collie dying from eating a mushroom called Green-Spored Lepiota. The description matches mine nearly flawlessly but I won't know for sure until the spore print comes back. I have a border collie and that upsets me :C poor dog. 

Chlorophyllum molybdites?

11:14 update. spore print turned up green. ID solidified.

http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/10156662